Community is the message: viewing networked public displays through McLuhan's lens of figure and ground

Networked public displays are being portrayed as "a new communication medium for the 21st century", potentially having the same impact on society as radio, TV, and the Internet. In order to understand how this new medium can impact the society this paper uses a (small) part of Marshall McLuhan's media theory, i.e., the interplay between the figure - the medium - and the ground - the context in which the medium operates - and how the figure amplifies otherwise invisible effects of the ground. By analyzing environmental/urban research on interactions and processes in public spaces this paper infers the effects of the ground - public space - amplified through the figure - networked public displays - on its audience, showing why this new medium is fitted for affecting and enriching place-based communities. Overall, this paper contributes to the theory of networked urban/public displays and their use as a communication medium.